Measuring in Degrees
by Yukitsu
Summary: The aftermaths of the Nishiura vs Mihoshi game leaves lasting effects on the first years from Mihoshi. Midly implied OdaxKanou.


**Measuring in Degrees**

By Yukitsu

Notes: requested by Synatri on LJ. Oda and Kano and the little things behind the scenes.

* * *

Kanou had been pushing himself more than usual ever since Mihoshi's loss to Nishiura. No one really pointed it out for fear of Kanou getting angry or, worse, breaking down. If they had treated him like a delicate butterfly before, they were doing so now more than ever.

So they went on through daily baseball practice, Kanou throwing more balls than even the regular pitcher and staying well until after dark all the time. Sometimes, they'd join him, but they eventually stopped because Kanou seemed like he preferred being alone. He still talked often, laughed often, smiled often, but there was a line that his middle school teammates seemed reluctant to cross. Their upperclassmen didn't particularly care – the new ones to the team, the ones in their batch, thought the whole thing was mildly interesting.

Personally, Oda was starting to think Gunma boys were stupid. It wasn't his problem, though. Kanou could take care of himself and he knew that.

------

They cornered him after official practice was done one day, when only the regulars and Kanou were left in the field and the rest were washing down in the showers. Oda didn't really mind that they thought it would be nice to flock him while he was trying to get dressed, but sometimes he wondered.

"What's up?" he asked, blinking down at their slightly fierce looks.

"It's Kanou."

"What about Kanou?"

Hatake scratched the back of his head. "He seems all red today. We think he's sick. Convince him to go to the infirmary, will ya?"

Oda frowned at Kanou's catcher. "Why don't you tell him yourself?"

Yoshi shook his head. "He might get angry."

He supposed he could understand that. "Why me? The upperclassmen can probably do it better, you know."

"He'd be embarrassed. Anyway, you're the only one he talks to anymore."

" I Baaaka/I " he said, not unkindly. "He's not avoiding you guys. You're the ones avoiding him."

They looked at each other and huddled in the corner of the clubroom to talk. They've been doing that a lot lately, Oda thought, but he ignored it in favor of picking up his bag and walking out the room.

------

The sun was just setting when Oda made his way back to the field. Summer days were long, which he was vaguely thankful for. Otherwise, he might have not seen Kanou in the middle of the field.

Today, Kanou was occupying the spot where first base usually stood, pitching at one of those steel nets they used for practice. There was a piece of paper stuck in the middle of it, where the strike zone was supposed to be. It was more than a little battered, Oda observed with satisfaction.

"How many balls've you pitched today?" Oda asked, adjusting his grip on his bag.

"Dunno. Haven't been counting." I Thud/I , the crinkle of paper, and the ball was rolling across the ground.

There was just enough light for him to make out the outlines of the balls on the ground. "You've pitched enough. C'mon, Kanou." He didn't wait for the other boy's response; he was already walking back to the school.

"What? Hey!" Kanou protested, but upon seeing that Oda wasn't about to wait for him, he quickly followed.

------

"You've been working hard," Oda said casually, checking the thermometer if it was working and holding it out to the other boy. Kanou wasn't looking at him and didn't see, busy as he was being defensive. Kanou, Oda learned, did not take well to being told he looked sick and being dragged to the infirmary. An empty one at that, but at least it had supplies.

"So I have."

"They think you're alienating them, you know."

"I'm not."

"If you haven't forgiven them..."

"Of course I have," the pitcher grumbled. "I wasn't the one they bullied in the first place."

"But?"

Kanou sighed, shuffled his feet against each other. "I just want to get better."

Oda frowned at him (but Kanou couldn't see, he reminded himself). "Kanou--"

"I know I'm good," he said quickly, looking a little irritated. "I just want to make it to the regulars faster. I'm not avoiding them or anything."

"I see." Before Kanou could add to that, Oda reached out for his chin, steadied his head, and stuck the thermometer in his ear. Kanou yelped at the cold and batted his hand away, glaring at him.

"Thirty seven-point-eight," he read. "See? You I are /I sick."

Kanou mumbled something. Oda tilted his head. "What?"

"I said," the shorter teenager mumbled some more, "I don't feel it."

He smiled. "Right. Come on, I'll walk you home."

------

Kanou didn't miss school the next day, and seemed as healthy as ever. He joined Hatake and their middle school Mihoshi gang for lunch, and formed a team of their own with the rest of the non-regulars to challenge the upperclassmen during practice. They lost, three-to-four, but it was a good game.

For the most part, Oda was glad that the weird atmosphere surrounding half their batch had dissipated. It hadn't really been conducive to baseball.

"Hey." He looked up from the chart he had been studying. Kanou was grinning down at him from his place.

"Hey."

"Want to practice? I'll pitch."

"Yeah, I still need to hit your forks properly."

"You can try."

------

Kanou pitched. He swung.

------

11:53PM 1/21/2008

Edits, plz. Have not beta-ed this as much as I should have!


End file.
